Electricity
Feds Award $2.2B in Grants for Transmission Line, Storage Projects
U.S. Dept. of Energy officials selected the North Plains Connector in Montana and North Dakota for a $700-million grant, the largest amount awarded in its transmission project funding round.
Photo courtesy North Plains Connector
Eight energy grid projects across 18 states are set to get a financial boost totaling $2.2 billion from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, officials announced Aug. 6—the second round of funding awards from the agency's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program.
Focused on transmission, the selected projects collectively include more than 600 miles of new lines and upgrades on 400 existing line miles to enable them to transmit more power, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters Aug. 5. The projects would together add nearly 13 GW of capacity to the grid.
“That’s roughly six-and-a-half Hoover Dams of power,” Granholm said, noting growing U.S. power need, particularly boosted by "all of these growing data centers that are placing demands on the grid.”
The largest award is $700 million to the Montana Dept. of Commerce for the North Plains Connector Interregional Innovation Project. The plan calls for a 3,000-MW transmission line connecting three regional control entities and increasing transfer capacity between Montana and North Dakota by 1,400%, and adding up to 3,000 MW of capacity to help prevent weather-related power disruptions.
Some of projects combine a mix of transmission and other components. The Power Up New England project—led by the Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources, with nearby states and project developers Form Energy, Eversource Energy and National Grid—includes both transmission and energy storage. Using a $389.3-million grant, it will upgrade interconnection points in Massachusetts and Connecticut to prepare the regional transmission system for up to 4,800 MW of added offshore wind power, deployment of a battery energy storage system in Maine.
“These game-changing federal funds will mean more jobs, lower energy costs for families and businesses, and cleaner air for all,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) in a statement.
Another $87.6-million grant to the Redwood Coast Energy Authority would help the Hoopa Valley, Yurok, Karuk and Blue Lake Rancheria tribes in Northern California build microgrids.
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The other grant awards include $600.6 million to the California Energy Commission; $30 million to the New York Power Authority; $249.6 million to the Utah Office of Energy Development; $85.4 million to the Virginia Dept. of Energy; and $57.1 million to the North Carolina Dept. of Environmental Quality State Energy Office.
The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Last fall, DOE announced the first 58 projects selected to receive a combined $3.5 billion from the program.
Granholm said DOE would announce the next round of award in the fall or early winter.
